— A major fire ripped through South Africa's 138-year-old Parliament complex on Sunday, gutting offices and causing some ceilings to collapse at a site that has hosted some of the country's pivotal moments. It spread to the newer National Assembly building, built in the 1980s, which is where the Parliament now sits. There were also fears that priceless artifacts inside, including a manuscript where the composer first wrote some lyrics for South Africa's national anthem, would be lost forever. While the Old Assembly building was closely connected to South Africa's colonial and apartheid history, the National Assembly building was where former President F.W. Parliament speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula cautioned against speculation that it was a deliberate attack on South Africa's seat of democracy.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 03, 2022 04:55 UTC